The Latest Trademark Discoveries

As you may presently be yourself aware, my grammar stinks… but you may also know that I enjoy a trademark database hunt to find the odd unreleased gem now-and-then.

The last couple of weeks I’ve found a few items of note:

We’ll start with Winnipeg and the National Hockey League. In my last post I alluded to an update made to the Winnipeg Jets trademark filing. It looks like CITIBANK, N.A. placed a security agreement on the file on June 2, 2011. What does that mean? Well the CIPO explains it as such, “The Registrar of Trade Marks will permit the placement of ‘Security Agreements’ on the files of trade marks in the circumstances where such trade marks have been put up as security.”

Clears everything up, doesn’t it?

Before everyone gets excited that this means “Jets” is a sure thing, the NHL also placed security agreements on other trademarks they own that very same day, (“Stanley Cup”, “LNH”, for example)… the timing is likely just a coincidence. Also a coincidence? The additional update on the trademark earlier this week, showing “Winnipeg Jets” was renewed on June 15, 2011 in preparation for December 11, 2011, which is 15 years to the day after the last time it was renewed and 30 years to the day after it was registered. Likely a standard procedure to renew a trademark every 15 years.

Ownership hasn’t changed, as of June 21st “Winnipeg Jets” is still owned by the National Hockey League. True North has also stated a name isn’t expected to be announced in time for the draft and the team will likely present NHL jerseys to their draft picks.

The heritage Winnipeg Falcons logo registered (along with the name) by the Canadian Hockey Association in December 2003

“Go Jets Go” was registered to a residential address in Winnipeg on June 6, 2011 for the purposes of selling clothing — I have my doubts this is officially related to the NHL club and is more likely someone trying to “legally” sell Jets merchandise if/when the time comes.

True North still only owns “White Out”, “Winnipeg Falcons” is owned by Hockey Canada from those retro jerseys the Men’s Hockey Team wore a few times (that design sure looks familiar); Manitoba Jets and Manitoba Falcons are both very available.

Elsewhere in the National Hockey League, sorta, I found this interesting Quebec Nordiques logo registered in May: This logo was not registered by the National Hockey League, but by Montreal-based RNC Media, Inc. with the stated purpose of “organizing events for returning a hockey team to the City of Quebec”. You might be seeing this logo a lot in the next 12 months.

Moving on…

In Australia, the Australian Football League is reported to have registered a new tiger logo (I say “reported” because I can’t find it within the trademark database) which could very well indeed be the new logo for the Richmond Tigers.